Hydraulic container sealing means



June 23, 1959 H. E. STOVER 891566 HYDRAULIC CONTAINER sEALING MEANSFiled oct. 12. 195e s sheets-sheet@ Jun@ 23 1959 H. E. STOVER HYDRAULICCONTAINER SEALING MEANS s sheets-sheet 2 Filed Oct. l2. 1956 IN V ENTOR. #4f/ey I 57ans? E n.1! s 1 w m -wms smmwyw FI w F I v/ KZ/ A v 4 5V//////// f// s v\ mw m a m 9 m o m mwf m m s f f/l/ \W./M m m. U 4. w/

Jun 23, 1959 H. E. STOVER HYDRAULIC CONTAINER SEALING MEANS 5Sheets-Sheet 3 Fillgd oct. 12. 195e L. N W O. l

United States Paten-t 15' 2,891,366 Patented June 23, 1h59 2,s91,366. imnAULrc coNTAn n SELING iviunlsis Harry E. Stover, Lancaster, Ohio;n'ssignor to Anchor Hocking GlassjCorporation, Lancaster, '0hio; acorporation of Delaware Application october '12;1956; sni N; 615,587 15Claims. (cuss-e561).

The present invention yrelates to maczliines` for applying closures Vtocontainersj and moregpaifticularlyl to such a machine embodying ahydraulic chuck orsealing head for applying a closure to 'a screw threador lug-'type container. t y -A Screw-type closures are `desirable onmany ltypesof packages and particularly onQfoofd containers such asketchup, jam, or powdered colfe'e" containers', where the user opens andreseals the container many over a period of time. For such containers',a screwk thiie'a'd offers a practical closure fastening means as theclosure is easily reapplied after the' initial opening` to provide arelatively airtight seal for the intervals between use. One drawbackwith regard to screw closures eiiists` in the relative difhcultyencountered in the initial! application of the closure onautomaticsealir'ig'':inachines.` Arto matic sealing machines for use 'Withsc'rev'v' closures have been unsatisfactory as they, eitherrus'ecem'pleX rotating chuck arrangements or they have hydraulic ormech-aical closure shaping means adapted foruse only on relatively thinand easily shaped 'closure shells.

It is known to fix screw-type closures on bottles by means of anapparatus in which `a membrane is forced around the cap on the containerneck by hydraulicfrce to press the cap into conformity with thecontainer neck. The present invention provides an impved hydraulicdevice which will deform a selected portion of tc'losur'e to conform it`to a container finish such as a threaded finish `and which is capable of-frm'ingthreadsor lugs on a metal closure formed of` heavy gauge metal.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide animproved' sealing means for screw-type closures.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedhydraulically operated sealing machine.

Another object of the present-invention is to. provide a sealing meansfor screw-type closures adaptec'l [for high- Y speed operation.

Another object of the present invention-istey provide an improvedhydraulic sealing head'` for applying screwtype closures. Y

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedhydraulic sealing` head adapted for auto matic sealing machines. o

Other and further objects of the invention-willi. be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative'em- Figi. 2 is an elevational view insection of the sealing head oli-Fig. 1 with the hydraulic' pressureapplied;

Fig. 3y is apersp'ective view of the resilient closure shaping ring;

Fig: 4 is a perspective view of a closure before'it is threaded; Y Y

Fig; 5 is a perspective View of thek closure of Fig. 4 after it has beenshapedby the sealing head* during the container sealing action; l n t tFig.v- 6 is* a fragmentary sectionalview of a sealing head'iriu'nted ona turret-type'automatic sealing ma'-v chine; t

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the sealing head of Fig. 6 with thehydraulic pressure applied;

Fig. 8` is a sectional view of the valve taken along lline 8"-8of-Fig';6; and

Fi'g; 9 is a fragmentary view of another embodiment of the'turre't-t'ypehydraulic sealing machine.

Ai preferred embodiment of the sealingr head 1 conrprisig the hydraulicchuck 2 and the support means 4 therefor is shown in Figs. n 1-3.

The cup-like hydraulic chuck 2 receives the mouth of a filled container7v having anun'threaded closure 8 placed loosely thereon. Whilel holdingthe washer 8a of closure' 8 tightly against the mouth of the container 7the chuck 2"st`1ue`ezes closure 3 to formthreads 11 therein (Fig. 2)which are complementary to container threads lllso ythat theclosiiie Sisfastened onto and seals the c0n` tainer 7. l

Thesi-ipport means 415er' chuck Zcomprises a suitable r'dSconn "cted bythreads d Vto the hydraulic chuck 2 and irlioed von a suitable holder(not shown). n Y

IFig'; l, ayer'tically"v reciprocal ycontainer support 12 isshovvhfwhich is used to raise V'the topv of the container within thehydraulic chuck 2l after the closure 8' has been placed'on the container7.` lf desired, the container maybe placed on a stationary support andthe hydraulic chuck' support meansV 4 may be reciprocated verticallyonto-thel container 7. Closure 8 may also be inserted intotlie hydraulicchuck 2' rather than being placed on the container mouth if desirable.

The hydraulic chuck 2 comprises a closure sealing member 14' threadedlyconnected at its top by threads 6' tothe rod'Sand having an kannularbodymember 15 moruntedthe'r'eon. A resilient closure shaping means isheld placebetween theclosure seating member 14 andthe body ymemberl byfa cap 17 threadedly confA meetejd to the body member 15. n K

Ther 'closure shaping means 116 isv formed of a resilient material suchas rubber and it has a radially inwardly teding closure shaping ilange19 kin its hollow Vcenter pr't'io Z0. An annular aperture 21 is providedwithin the body of shaping'means; 1'6 encircling the ang'e 19 andadptedto be lledwith hydraulic fluid under lgiressulre'.l The" hydrauliciii-iid expandsY the aperture Zi to cause shaping means 16 f6erpand'inwardiy into the Hollow center "portion 20V so that its shapinglng`e19 engages bodiment about to be described, or will heindicated in:1p

the appended claims, and Various advantages not referred to herein willoccur to oneskilled inV thev art upon employment of the invention inpractice:

A preferred embodiment of ther invention has been' chosen for purposesof illustration and description and theclo'sure 8 on container 7.Sufhcient hydraulic p'r'es sure isfapplied'witiin the aperture 2i sothat the hnge 1.9"force'sv Athe closure skirt 9 inwardly againstthethre'ad's 10ron the top' of the container-7 to form the thread' 11onthe closures which is complemen't'ary tothecoiitaier threadl'; Fig. 4shows thegeneralshapeofa suitable closure. cap before the:i formationi'of` the threads 11 and Fig: 5 shows the'clsue threads llfo'rmedby thesqueezing; action of flangeV 19:- Theresilient shaping means'f 16 'in'Aits preferred forni is' held in positininthe hydraulic chuck 2f by outerandinnerflangesZZ andf23; respectively;u formed at the upper.' edge of'theshaping meansv 16;' The inner flange 23 Yis tightly grippedrbetwe'encorner 24 on body member v15 and 'a lockingange' on the closure seatingmember 14; The outer flange-22 is locked between corner 26 in the bodymember 15 and a locking ring 27 held in place by the cap 17. The upperportion of the aperture 21 in the resilient shaping means 16 is leftopen so that it communicates with an annular hydraulic uid conduit 28formed in the body member 15. Conduit 28 distributes the hydraulic uidto the aperture 21 in the closure shaping means from a suitable inletport 29.

In order to limit the expansion of the resilient closure shaping means16 to a radially inwardly directed motion of the iange 19, the top andbottom portions 38 of the shaping liange 19 are confined between thespaced extremities 31 and 32 of the closure seating member 14 and thecap 17, respectively. Thus, all the outer surfaces of the resilientshaping means 16 are conined against expansion with the exception of theshaping surface 34 of the shaping ange 19. When hydraulic uid underpressure is admitted through the conduit 28 into the aperture 21 of theshaping means 16, the shaping ange 19 is forced radially inwardlyagainst the skirt 9 of the closure 8 as seen in Fig. 2, thereby shapinga cylindrical portion of the skirt so that it conforms to the threads onthe container 7. By providing the inwardly extending shaping ange 19 andby controlling its deformation with the spaced extremities 31 and 32,the shaping force on the closure 8 is concentrated in the particulararea desired so that the thread is formed in the patricular portion ofthe skirt desired. Also, by limiting the shaping area to a relativelynarrow portion of the closure skirt, it is possible to form threads inclosures formed of relatively thick metal quickly and eiectively withoutdistorting the remaining unthreaded portions of the closure.

In addition to forming threads on the closure skirt, it is alsodesirable in many instances to form a step or groove at the outer edgeof the upper surface of the closure to reinforce the closure and to movethe closure gasket 8a tightly against the sealing finish of thecontainer mouth. A shaping flange 36 is provided on the lower contactingsurface of the closure seating member 14 to perform this shapingoperation. When the hydraulic chuck 2 receives the closure 8 atopcontainer 7, chuck 2 and container 7 are moved together with suiiicientforce so that the flange 36 of the closure seating member 14 shapes thetop 37 of the closure to provide the step 38 at the edge of closure top37 as seen in Fig. 5.

In order to assist in separating the hydraulic chuck 2 from the sealedcontainer 7 after the threading operation is completed, an ejector rod40 is provided in the closure seating member 14. Ejector rod 40 isslidably mounted in a suitable bearing 41, and it is urged downwardlyagainst closure 8 by coil spring 42. The downward travel of the ejectionrod 40 is limited by a suitable stop nut 44.

Any suitable means may be used to supply hydraulic uid under pressure tothe aperture 21 of the shaping means 16 after the hydraulic chuck hasbeen lowered into place onto the container 7. In Fig. l a hydrauliccylinder 45 is shown connected by a hydraulic line 46 to to the inletport 29. A rotating cam 47 turned by hand or by a suitable drivemechanism intermittently raises the piston 48 of the hydraulic cylinder45. The rotation of cam 47 may be synchronized with the operation of thecontainer support 12 by a suitable connecting means (not shown) to causethe piston 48 to be raised to apply pressure for a predetermined periodto the shaping means 16 while the container support 12 is in its raisedposition.

Another embodiment of the sealing head is shown Vin Figs. 6-8 which isadapted for being mounted on a turret-type sealing machine such as isdisclosed in the United States Patent No. 2,610,779, owned by theassignee of the present invention. The sealing machine disclosed inPatent No. 2,610,779 has a rotating turret containing a plurality ofspaced sealing heads which are intermittently lowered over the mouths ofcontainers traveling on a circular conveyor located beneath and moved inSynchronism with the sealing heads. Fig. 6 shows one such sealing head50 having a hydraulic chuck 51 mounted on its lower end in accordancewith the present invention. Sealing head 50 is attached to the outeredge of the rotatable sealing turret 52 in place of the sealing headsshown in the above-mentioned patent. As the turret 52 is rotated abovecontainers 54 being moved therebelow by a suitable conveyor as describedin the above patent, sealing head 50 is alternately lowered by the cam71 and raised by the cam 60. When the sealing head 58 has lowered thehydraulic chuck 51 over the mouth of the container 54, a closure 66 isforced tightly against the container mouth and is sealed thereon by thesqueezing action of the hydraulic chuck 51, as will be more fullydescribed below.

The sealing head 50 comprises an outer casing 5S bolted to the turret 52and an elongated hollow member 56 slidably mounted therein on bearings57 for vertical movement with respect to the turret 52. The lifting ofthe elongated hollow member 56 within the outer casing 55 is controlledby a cam roller 58 rotatably mounted on the hollow member 56 on pin 59.When the hydraulic chuck 51 is to be raised-clear of the container 54,the cam roller 58 engages the upper surface of a cam 60 which is xedlymounted on the turret shaft 61 and which is shaped to raise thehydraulic chuck from the container after the shaping action. A coilspring 62 mounted between the lower end 64 of the outer casing 55 andflange 65 on the lower end of hollow member 56 urges the hollow member56 downwardly and urges the cam roller 58 towards cam 60.

In order to move the sealing head 50 downwardly against the closure 66on the container 54 with sucient force to provide a tight seal, anelongated rod 67 is slidably mounted on suitable bearings 68 within thehollow member 56. A cam roller 69 is mounted on a suitable shaft 70 atthe top of the rod 67 and it engages the lower surface of a circular cam71, which is tixedly mounted on the turret shaft 61. Cam 71 lowers therod 67 and attached hydraulic chuck 51 against the force of a coilspring 72, which is compressed between the cam wheel bracket 74 at theupper end of rod 67 and the top 75 of the outer casing 55. The hydraulicchuck 51 is mounted upon the lower ends of both the rod 67 and thehollow member 56, as will be described more fully below, so that thechuck S1 is moved upwardly by the combined action of cam roller 58 oncam surface 60 and the coil spring 72 and is moved downwardly by thecombined action of cam roller 69 on cam 71 and cam spring 62. As seen inFig. 6, when the hydraulic chuck 51 is forced downwardly against theclosure 66 by cam 71 and cam roller 69, the cam 60 is shaped to clearcam roller 58 so that cam 60 does not impede the lowering of thehydraulic chuck 51. Similarly, cam 71 terminates before the cam 60raises the hydraulic chuck 51 clear of container S4 so that cam 71 doesnot interfere with the raising of the hydraulic chuck 51.

The hydraulic chuck 51 is shown in detail in Fig. 7. The hydraulic chuck51 comprises a closure sealing member threadedly connected to rod 67 atits top by threads 81 and having an annular body member 82 mountedthereon. A resilient closure shaping means 84 is held in place betweenthe closure sealing member 80 and thc body member 82 by a cap 85threadedly connected to the lower portion of the body member 82. Closureshaping means 84 is formed of a suitable resilient material such asrubber in generally the same manner as the abovedescribed closureshaping means as illustrated in Fig. l. Closure shaping means 84 asillustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 is a different embodiment (from theresilient shaping means 16 illustrated in Fig. l as its annular closureshaping liange 86 is located centrally 0f the hollow inner portion ofthe shaping means and as its mounting flanges 87 and 88 are mounted atthe top and bottom, respectively, of its 'outer surface. The closureshaping means 84 is held inpositionbetween the closure shaping-member 80and the cap 85 by an annular retainingring 89 which has inwardlydirected upper and lower flanges 90 and- 91, respectively, which engagethe upper andV lower anges 87 'and 8S of the closure shaping means andhold them in position against the closure sealing member and the cap 8S.The annular retaining ring 89 and the closure shaping means 84 cooperateto form an annular hydraulic channel 92 surrounding the central portionof the closure shaping means 84 and its inwardly directed closureshaping ilangev 86. Channel 92 communicates with a hydraulic inlet port93 through an annular hydraulic distribution channel 94. Thus, after thehydraulic chuck 51 is lowered over the top of a container S4 with aclosure 66 in place thereon, the admission of fluid under pressure tothe channel 92 causes the central portion 95 of the closure shapingmeans Sito move inwardly toward. the retaining surfaces 96 and 97 of theclosure sealing member 80 and the cap 85, respectively, and also causesthe closure shapingange $6 tosimultaneously move inwardly against theskirt 96 of the closure 66 to press it against the threads 99 on top ofthe container S4. Threads 100are formed on skirt 9S of closure 66 tofasten the closure 66 in sealing position on the container 54. When thehydraulic pressure is released by the hydraulic control system, whichwill be more fully described below, theresilient closure shaping means{i4-*resumes its original shape as seen in Fig. 6, allowing thehydraulic chuck 51 to be raised vertically above the top of the sealedcontainer 54. Ejector 4rod 101, which is slidably mounted in a suitablebearing 102 in-the closure sealing member 80, is urged downwardly byvcoil spring 104 to help separate the closure cap 66 from the chuck 51.The downward travel of the ejector rod 101 is controlled by a nut 105.

vIn the sealing machineV disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent No.2,610,779, a closure feed means is disclosed which supplies the closuresto the sealing heads prior tothe lowering of the sealing heads 50 ontothe containers 54. The sealing means shown in Patent No. 2,610,779presents the closures to the sealing head in such a position that theclosureis drawn upwardly into the lower portion of the sealing head by amagnet mounted therein. A magnet 106 is provided in the ejector rod 101of the hydraulic chuck 51 of the present invention for this purpose.Where the closures 66 are madeV of steel or another magnetic substance,the magnet 106 draws the closure 66 upwardly into the hydraulic chuck 51in the same manner as disclosed in the Patent No. 2,610,779 prior to thelowering of the hydraulic chuck 51 over the topof the container 54. Ifdesired, the cap 66 may be inserted in hydraulic chuck 51 by hand orapplied directly to the container 54 rather than to the hydraulic chuckS1 prior to' the lowering. of the chuck 51 over the top of thecontainer. Vlosure 66 maybe placed on the container top by hand or'by asuitable automatic closure applyingV means such asisshown inPatentNo.2,618,424, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.During the rotation of the sealing turret 52 about its centralVstationary mounting shaft 61, it is desirable to have the hydraulicshaping fluid automatically applied to the hydraulic chuck '51 for apredetermined interval while the' chuck 51 is lowered by cam 71 intosealing engagement with the closure 66 on container S4. A preferredembodiment of an automatic hydraulic control means or valve 111i isshown in Figs. 6 and 8. Valve 110 comprises a lower annular connectorring` 111 xedly mounted by bolts 112 to the turretshaft 61 and having anannular upper surface 114 in sliding engagement with anannular rotatingring 115 which is connected tothe rotating turret 52. As seen in thesectional View in Fig. 8, the connector ring 111 has an elongatedchannel 116 therein whichis connected to a source of hydraulic iluidunder pressure by a line 117. The rotating ring 115 has a series ofspaced vconnector ports 1.18, each one of which is coupled to one of thehydraulic chucks 51by a flexible conduit-119. When the port 118 is movedinto kcommunication with the channel 116 by rotation of the turret 52,lhydraulic iluid from the line 117 ows into the hydraulic channel 92 ofthe hydraulic chuck 51 through channel 116, port 118,' line 119, inletport 93, and distribution channel 941. During the portion of therotation of the turret 521m which the port 11S is above channel 116, thehydraulic pressure of source 117 is applied to the closure shaping means84 to perform the above-described shaping operation. After the port 118passes beyond the channel 116, it moves above a release channel 120 inconnector ring 111 which is connected by a line 121 to a hydraulic uidreservoir at atmospheric pressure, allowing the pressurewithin thehydraulic channel 92 to return to normal and allowingthe closure shapingmeans 84 to assume its normal position as shown in Fig. 8.

In place of the hydraulic control means 110, a separate hydraulicpressure means may be provided for each sealing head 50, as shown inFig. 9. Thus, a hydraulic cylinder 13.0, similar. to cylinder 45 of Fig.1, is mounted for rotation with the turret 52 on each sealing head 56and is hydraulically connected to the hydraulic chuck 51 by line 131.The piston 132.01 the hydraulic cylinder is moved by a suitable Acamsurface 133 lixedly mounted on the turret .shaft 61 so that the piston132 is moved downwardly into the hydraulic `cylinder during the desiredportion of the sealing heads movement about shaft 61 to apply shapingpressure to the hydraulic chuck 51.

The operation of the hydraulic chuck illustrated in Figs. l through 3which has been described in connection with the above descriptions maybe summarized as follows:

Container 7 is first placed on a suitable container support 12 with aclosure 8 loosely positioned on its top. Thereafter, the containersupport 12 is raised to move the upper portion. of the container 7together with the cap 8, which isseated thereon, into the hydraulicchuck 2 of the sealing head 1. As seen in Fig. 1, the closure 8 is nowpositioned within the hollow center portion of the cup-like hydraulicchuck 2, and the lower portion of the skirt which is adjacent to thethreads 10 on the closure finish ispositioned opposite the resilientclosure shaping means 16lwithin the hydraulic chuck2. The containersupport 12 forces the container 7 and closure 8 thereon upwardly againstthe closure seating member 14 with suflicient force so that the washer8a is tightly seated against the mouth of the container 7 and so thatshaping flange 36 of the closure seating member 14 forms the step 38 atthe outer edge of top 37 of the closure 3. While the closure 8 is heldtightly against the closure seating member 14, the cam 47 is rotated tomove piston 48 upwardly, thereby forcing hydraulic fluid into theaperture 21 of the resilient closure shaping means 16 to force theshaping flange 19 tightly against the skirt 9 of closure 8 so that it isforced against the threads 10 of the container to form complementarythreads 11. Threads 11 engage the kthreads 10 of the container 7 andhold the closure tightly in place on the` container 7 in sealingposition. Thereafter, further rotation of cam 47 lowers piston 43 torelease the hydraulic pressure on the shaping liange 19 so that theresilient closure shaping means 16 returns to its normal shape as seenin Fig. 1 and so that the container support 12 may be lowered to removesealed container 7 from the hydraulic chuck 2. Ejector rod 411 moves.downwardly under the force of coiled spring 42 to assist in thewithdrawal of the closures 8 from the hydraulic chuck 2. Container 7 isnow sealed with threaded closure 8 which may be removed and reapplied asdesired by the consumer of the product packed in container 7.

The operation of the embodiment of the hydraulic chuck shown in Figs. 6through 8 on a rotating turrettypesealing machine such as that disclosedin Patent No. 2,610,779 may be summarized as follows.

Sealing heads 50 as seen in Fig. 6 are mounted in spaced relation on arotating turret as disclosed in the above-mentioned patent. During theinitial portion of the turret rotation, a cap feeder as shown anddescribed in the above-mentioned patent supplies a closure 66 to thehollow cup-like hydraulic chuck l mounted on the bottom of each of thesealing heads 5t). Further rotation of the sealing heads 50 by theturret 52 brings the hydraulic chuck 5l above a iilled container 54carried by a suitable table or conveyor on a path directly beneath thecircular path of the sealing head 50. Further rotation of the sealinghead Si) now brings its cam roller 69 into contact with the circular cam'71 thereabove which lowers the hydraulic chuck 51 onto the container 54so that the closure 66 is positioned on the top of container S4 with itssealing washer 66a tightly pressed against the container mouth. Duringthis portion of the turret rotation, cam 60 is shaped so that it passesbelow the cam roller 58 so that the cam roller 58 does not interferewith the downward motion of the sealing head Si). Additional rotation ofthe turret next brings the connector port liti into communication withthe hydraulic channel 116 in the connector ring lill of valve 110 sothat hydraulic fluid under pressure is admitted through line 13.9, port93, and distribution channel 94 to hydraulic channel 92. The hydraulicfluid under pressure in channel 92 forces the closure shaping liange S6of the closure shaping means 84 inwardly against the skirt 93 of theclosure 66 and forces the skirt 98 against threads 99 of the containerfinish to form threads illl on the closure 66. Additional rotation ofthe turret brings the connector port M8 above the release channel mi) inthe connector ring 111i of the hydraulic valve 110, thereby releasingthe hydraulic pressure on the shaping means 84e so that it returns toits normal position as seen in Fig. 6. Thereafter, cam o@ engages camroller 58 to raise the sealing head 50 clear of the sealed container andthe sealed container is carried out from under the turret S2 to asuitable unloading station. Circular cam 71 terminates before the cam 6%engages cam roller 58 so that cam roller 69 will not interfere with theraising of the sealing head 50 by cam roller 58.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 9, the hydraulic shaping pressure ineach hydraulic chuck 51 is applied by the downward movement of piston132 under the control of cam 134 at the desired portion of the turretrotation.

It will be seen that an improved hydraulic chuck is provided which isrelatively simple in form and which is, at the same time, effective insealing containers by forming screw threads in closures applied tocontainer tops. The hydraulic chuck disclosed is adapted for use onautomatic sealing machines and provides a means for sealing screw-typecontainers simply and effectively and at high speeds. The hydraulicchuck of the present invention is also useful on closures formed ofrelatively heavy-gauge metal, and the molding operation of the chuck maybe confined to predetermined relatively narrow portions of the closureskirts where it is desired to provide deep screw threads over a narrowportion of the container skirt to form an attractive and eiectivescrewtype seal. The hydraulic chuck of the present invention is alsoreadily adjusted to handle screw closures of varying shapes and sizesand thread patterns by a relatively simple exchange of a few of itselements.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and without sacricing any of its advantages, it is to beundei-stood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In a sealing machine having a rotating turret with a plurality ofsealing heads mounted thereon, the combination of a cup-like member oneach of said sealing heads having a resilient hollow shaping meanstherein adapted to embrace a closure and to squeeze it into conformitywith a container nish when subjected to hydraulic pressure, saidresilient hollow shaping means having a ring-like inner portionextending radially inwardly of said cup-like member, an annular conduitencircling said inner portion of said resilient hollow shaping means andconnected to a hydraulic supply means, a hydraulic supply meanscomprising a control member adapted for connection to a source ofhydraulic fluid under pressure and operatively connected to the turretto periodically connect the source of hydraulic fluid to the annularconduit of one of said resilient hollow shaping means for a portion ofthe turrets rotation.

2. In a sealing machine having a rotating turret with a sealing headmounted thereon, the combination of a cup-like member on said sealinghead having a resilient hollow shaping means therein adapted to embracea closure and to squeeze it into conformity with a container nish whensubjected to hydraulic pressure, a hydraulic supply means comprising acontrol member adapted for connection to a source of hydraulic uid underpressure and operatively connected to the turret to periodically connectthe source of hydraulic fluid to said resilient hollow shaping means,said control member comprising a stationary member, a movable memberconnected to said turret for rotation therewith, said stationary andmovable members each having a contact surface, said contact surfacesbeing in sliding engagement with one another, a first aperture on thecontact surface of the stationary member adapted for connection to asource of hydraulic fluid under pressure, and a second aperture on thecontact surface of the movable member adapted for connection to theresilient hollow shaping means and positioned to communicate with thefirst aperture for a predetermined portion of its travel over thecontact surface of said stationary member.

3. The sealing machine as claimed in claim 2 in which one of saidapertures comprises a channel having an elongated shape in the directionof travel of the other aperture whereby hydraulic iiuid from the sourceis admitted to the hollow shaping means for a period proportional to thelength of said channel.

4. In a sealing machine having a rotatable turret, the combination of ahollow hydraulic member mounted on said turret and having a resilientannular shaping means mounted therein, a conduit in said hydraulicmember encircling at least a portion of said resilient annular shapingmeans, a hydraulic pressure generator mounted on said turret andhydraulically connected to said conduit, and actuator means operativelyconnected to said hydraulic pressure generator to actuate it for aportion of the turret rotation to subject said conduit and said shapingmeans to hydraulic pressure.

5. The sealing machine as defined in claim 4 in which said hydraulicpressure generator comprises a pump having a piston operatively engaginga stationary piston control cam on said sealing machine whereby rotationof said turret moves said engaging portion of said piston along saidcam.

6. A sealing head for a sealing machine comprising the combination of acup-like hydraulic chuck, a resilient shaping member mounted Within saidhydraulic chuck encircling the cavity therein and having a ring-likeinner portion extending radially inwardly of said cavity, an annularconduit encircling said inner portion of said resilient shaping memberand adapted for connection to a source of uid under pressure whereby theadmission of fluid under pressure into said conduit forces said innerportion of said shaping member radially inwardly of the hydraulic chuckcavity.

7. The sealing head as claimed in claim 6 in which said ring-like innerportion of said shaping member comprises a radially directed ange havingradially directed top and bottom portions, and said hydraulic chuck hasspaced extremities engaging said top and bottom portions to limit theange to movement in a radial direction.

8. A hydraulic chuck for a sealing machine comprising the combination ofa resilient annular shaping member having a shaping flange on its innersurface extending radially inwardly thereof, spaced mounting anges onsaid annular shaping member, a mounting means for said shaping memberadapted to engage said anges to mount said annular shaping member and toform a conduit therewith, and a hydraulic port in said mounting meanscommunicating with the conduit at one end and adapted for connection toa source of hydraulic fluid at its other end.

draulic port in said mounting means communicating with said conduit atone end and adapted for connection to a source of hydraulic fluid at itsother end.

10. A sealing head for a sealing machine comprising the combination of acup-like hydraulic chuck having a cavity adapted to fit over a closureshell on the mouth of a container, an annular aperture in said hydraulicchuck encircling the cavity and having a ring-like portion incommunication therewith, a resilient shaping member in said aperture andoccupying the ring-like portion of said aperture communicating with thecavity, a shaping ange on the resilient shaping member eX- tendingradially inwardly of the chuck cavity, and said aperture adapted tocommunicate with a source of uid under pressure whereby the admission ofuid under pressure into said conduit forces the shaping ange of saidshaping member radially inwardly of the hydraulic chuck cavity againstthe closure shell.

11. The sealing head as claimed in claim 10 which further comprises aclosure seating member positioned above the cavity in the hydraulicchuck and adapted to contact the closure top to hold the closure tightlyagainst the container mouth.

12. The sealing head as claimed in claim 11 in which said closureseating member has a shaping ange on its surface adapted to shape theclosure top.

13. A resilient shaping member for a hydraulic chuck comprising aresilient annular body member having a radially directed shaping flangeon its inner edge and having spaced ring-like mounting flanges outwardlyof said shaping flange adapted for engagement with mounting anges on thehydraulic chuck to fasten the shaping member thereto and to form aconduit between the body portion and the hydraulic chuck.

14. The resilient shaping member as claimed in claim 13 in which saidbody member has a U-shaped cross section and said mounting flanges arepositioned at the opposite top edges of the body member.

15. The resilient shaping member as claimed in claim 13 in which saidspaced mounting anges are located at the top and bottom of the outeredge of said body member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,703,457 Robertson Feb. 26, 1929 2,145,975 Ferngren Feb. 7, 19392,193,618 Carter Mar. 12, 1940 2,705,101 Everett Mar. 29, 1955 FOREIGNPATENTS 353,407 Germany May 17, 1922

